In summary, the emerging view of the physiochemical properties of the alcohol pocket suggests that ligand occupancy and modulation through these pockets are determined by the hydrophobicity and volume. In addition, the location of the alcohol pockets at the interface of channel subunits (e.g., GIRK and GLIC) reveals a fundamental topographical design that makes it accessible to alcohol and facilitates intersubunit conformational changes that underlie channel opening. These features enable the alcohol pockets to act as critical modulatory sites for these channels.
